Saturday, March 1, 2014

Labasa Secondary School (LSS) - Reunion of Class of 1966

The
Labasa Reunion in Auckland: When Krishn, Sudama, Rukmini and other classmates
met - and all laughed and cried together.

Thakur
Ranjit Singh

The originators, project initiators and drivers of Project Labasa. KRISHN LAL (left) and the engine room of ideas, USHA SUBRAIL (middle). On the right, with a helping hand is NIRLAPANDEY.

As Usha Subrail and Krishn Lal stood at the lectern of
Amora Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd February, 2014, it indeed was a
historical moment and event. They were there to introduce the occasion - a milestone
of assembling most of the left-over classmates of the then Labasa Secondary
School’s (LSS) class of 1966. It was an event after almost half-a century. A
salute to these two Project leaders/coordinators of Project Labasa.

It took only a small flame from a lady with a desire to
do something “to keep her occupied in her retirement” that made a difference.
That is Usha Subrail of Melbourne, a student of Form 5 at the then Labasa
Secondary School’s class of 1966 (now Labasa College). That spark from Usha
grew into a bonfire of friendship six months later in Auckland on the weekend of
21/22 February, 2014. She has shared her thoughts with another classmate in
Melbourne, Krishn Lal, and together they laid the foundation and built it into
a reunion forty eight years on. It took hard work and six months of intense
planning.

The kind and generous host and hostess of informal evening on Friday night: MASTER RAM BIHARI, and Teacher RAI MATI.

The group met at Master Ram Bihari and Rai Mati’s residence
in Te Atatu South, Auckland on Friday 21 February, 2014 for informal chit-chat
and nostalgic music that took them back in time. A classmate, Nirmal Singh (Nivis
Motors), who was present of Friday, could not make it to the Saturday programme.
A more formal program was organised on Saturday 22 February at Auckland CBD,
where yours truly (Thakur) was present to take photos and do a media coverage
of the event.

It was a very cordial atmosphere, with warmth supplemented
by one of Auckland’s warmest nights with temperatures hovering around 27
degrees. Usha and Krishn gave words of introduction and briefed on the
culmination of the big event, and their trials and tribulations in coming this
far. Judge Ajit Swaran Singh moved words of welcome to the memorable function, and
reminded all that while from a small town in Vanua Levu, the friendly north
people have big hearts. And that was evident in this event. This was followed
by Kushma Prasad with her joyful song. The quiz mistress Usha (Aaap kitna jantey hai, Na Kila Kila mada)
kicked off with questions about LSS, such as when... was the lunch hour (12.20
-1pm), which was assembly day (Monday) who were English teachers (Usman Ali and Mrs McKay) and who was the famous
tennis player (Sarwan Singh)

PUNDIT VASU MAHARAJ with good wife, KUSUM MAHARAJ. He paid tribute to departed friends and the shradhaanjali brought tears to many eyes.

Pundit Vasu Maharaj of Brisbane brought tears when he
took us on a sentimental journey and paid tribute to classmates who have passed
away, and they included some 14 pupils, many of them unfortunately passed away at
relatively young age of around 50s. Sitla Bhimdeo, very appropriately, rendered a
sentimental old number about meeting and departing...”Aadmi musafir hai, aata hai jaata hai.....” (Human being are mere travellers, who come
and go, but in doing so, they leave us with memories) This memorable
sentimental number literally brought tears to many eyes, with the thoughts of and
tributes to departed friends. My Guruji from DAV College, Ba, Pundit Sanat
Pande and wife Nirla Pande, who is part of the class of 1966, showed their
combined singing partnership. They sang a melodious Mehndi Hasan ghazal in duet
form... Zindgi ki rahon mein, takra gaya
koi. (We bumped into somebody on the journey of our life). That happened
with so many of them.

Beautiful couple with many specialties and abilities. One on display during the night was their singing ability when they rendered a Mehndi Hasan ghazal which they sang as duet. PUNDIT SANAT PANDEY AND NIRLA PANDEY.

Nirmala Nand from Palmerston North, New Zealand could not
leave things half-done, so she completed it by singing a song that leaves
everything half completed...” aadha hai
chandrama, raat aadhi, reh naa jaye teri meri baat aadhi, mulaqaat aadhi.. (The
moon is half, so is the night (midnight); we hope our talks and union does not
stay half-completed.)

With half-eaten appetizer is the lady who sang that song depicting all things half...adha hai chandrama, raat aadhi, NIRMALA NAND (right) with her husband Sada Nand. So intense was the desire to meet old mates that they drove some six hours from Palmerston North (near Wellington) to attend the function

Well the union of Labasians did not remain half. Jai and
Uma Karan from Sydney, took it forward and gave a not so old duet from Laawaris...kab ke bichre huye hum... bichre
Fiji se aa ke Auckland me mile.. (Long separated people have at last met
after so long separated from Fiji but met in Auckland). Lyrics were slightly
modified to reflect the reality and sentiments of the occasion. This song very
aptly summed up emotions and feelings of classmates and friends who have been
separated for some five decades.

Some untold stories and secrets also came out. Three
students from Labasa Secondary School of those days took part in an
unauthorised bicycle race in Miss Labasa Festival and they happened to have
won. Brian Simmons, the famous soccer player was first, while a classmate
present in the function, Captain Ambika Prasad came second, followed by Girja
Prasad in the third position.

Poet NIRLA PANDEY , who penned the poetry titled Kal, Aaj aur Kal. The poet who took her classmates back in time with a memorable iece, depicting the history and different phases of student life at LSS in 1966

Nirla Pande displayed her aptitude of being a poet
(apart from being a beautiful ‘young” grandmother) with her beautiful delivery
of a poetry very aptly titled “Kal, aaj
aur kal” (Yesterday, today and tomorrow). The lyrical poem covered various facets
of school life, events, happenings, nostalgic experiences, some sadness, some
fun stories, the secrets, the nickname of teachers, all the mischievous habits
of various students, some forgotten history and secrets. This was an emotional,
tear-jerking as well as fun-filled powerhouse of an item very ably and
beautifully presented. She very appropriately ended her deliver with a message...Kabhi alvida na kehna...(Never say
goodbye), because plans are already in place for a reunion of that reunion in Fiji
in 2016.

Saheli, bhool na jana (Dear friend, please do not forget me) The unity and friendship that was evident in the function. The binding hands of two friends further extend the monogram of LSS. Close friends, SITLA BHIMDEO (left) and UMA KANTI KARAN

As we came close to the tail end, the floor was open for
a trip down the memory lane where the classmates respectively told the untold
stories, sang the unsung songs of those days, funny tales, all the nicknames
and some secrets. There were tears, there was laughter, and there was pin drop silence
on occasions, but all of these have been bundled in a parcel of yaadein - memories that would be
unwrapped by these long lost friends in their moments of loneliness when they
part.

A proud moment was when four soccer veterans present in
the function were acknowledged for their feat over four decades ago. They were
instrumental in bringing the 1968 IDC Secondary School trophy to little Labasa
from Namosau Park (now Govind Park), Ba. These players are Captain Ambika Prasad
(Fiji), Pundit Vasu Maharaj (Brisbane), Jai Karan (Sydney) and Vinod Kumar
(Wellington)

The soccer veterans now, but heroes of 1968 LSS IDC team members who brought the IDC Secondary School trophy from Govind Park , Ba to Labasa. Enjoying each others company with a few bilos, from left, PUNDIT VASU MAHARAJ, CAPTAIN AMBIKA PRASAD ( former Air Pacific 747 pilot and Captain), Vinod Kumar and Jai Karan

One of the Project managers, Krishn Lal told FIJI PUNDIT
that the trouble was worth the effort, as there were many rewards. “On a personal
level it was emotional and nostalgic. But what was even more pleasing to note
was the level of attachment to each other- throughout the two days it felt that
we had not left each other in the last 48 years; even more surprising was how
well the spouses of classmates became part of the class of 1966 - I personally
felt that I had known them all their lives! I was left with this feeling of
being a part of a unique group of people who had kept in touch despite time and
living in different places: age and distance could not stop them from
reconnecting because deep down they cared for each other (as they had done in
1966) and they looked forward to the Reunion to renew their close association’
said an emotional Krishn.

The general friendly and cordial atmosphere evident on a very warm evening in Auckland. Comradeship was evident during the evening programme.

These classmates who attended the reunion are spread in
different parts of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. They were from Brisbane,
Sydney, Melbourne, Wellington, Palmerston North, Fiji, and of course the host
city, Auckland. We are informed that these classmates carried on their union at
Amora Hotel till 4am in the morning where all recalled their past life at
school and indulged in small talks of those gone-by days.

Enjoying the company of friends; (from left) NEERMATI and PUNDIT SURESH CHANDRA, and SHIU and VIJAY GOUNDAR.

The farewell that morning was in the theme of what Nirla
Pande has reminisced in her Aaj, kal aur kal poem, never say goodbye...kabhi alvida na kehna ...as they parted
with the hope of meeting again. And that meeting is planned tentatively for
Vanua Levu, maybe Labasa or Savu Savu in 2016 where they hope to attract the
larger number of class of 1966. God bless the friendship of Classmates so well
reunited in Auckland, New Zealand.

Perhaps in their celebrative mood, nobody thought of
this song which may have fittingly erupted from the departing tears of long
lost friends...Koi lauta de mere beete
huye din.....(Please somebody, return my gone-by days...)..So long---till
these Labasians meet again in two years time.

[About the author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is a journalist
and media commentator and a student of Sanat Pandey, who is husband of a Classmate
of 1966, Nirla Pandey. Thakur, apart from local and overseas writings, runs his
blog site FIJI PUNDIT, accessible at www.fijipundit.blogspot.co.nz.]